Israel Adesanya remains the gold standard.
Adesanya (22–1) successfully defended his middleweight title against Robert Whittaker in the main event of UFC 271, winning the bout by unanimous decision.
Whittaker (23–6) performed better through the fight, but four out of those five rounds belonged to Adesanya. Adesanya landed some outrageously effective outside leg kicks, and never found himself in any real danger. Whittaker stuck to his game plan, but needed to fight with more urgency in the championship rounds. Clearly, he needed a finish to win. Even with Whittaker’s takedowns, he simply was not scoring.
